 | The Cavalier daily. Tuesday, October 1, 1968 |  |
Black Like Money
Self-help procedures are the key to the
Negro's gaining full benefits of American life,
according to the philosophy of The Phoenix
Society, a black capitalist organization in
Washington, D.C.
The Society, run by Negroes for Negroes,
already operates an auto mechanics center, a
clerical work center, and a sewing and
tailoring center in the ghetto areas of
Washington. "We don't want handouts
because that way the boys and girls will know
they weren't handed anything," said Ulysses
Robinson, head of the project. "It is our
experience that federal programs are badly
run and topheavy in high paid administrative
jobs and too much publicity," he added. He
explained many of the students coming to the
centers from federal programs are still
untrained and not ready to earn a living.
One of the main problems Mr. Robinson
faces is to retrain the
thinking of Negroes about menial jobs. So
many people today look down on common
labor, he said. Mr. Robinson explained to The
Cavalier Daily that there are 435 plumbers in
Washington of which only seven are Negroes.
"When a plumber comes to fix a drain at your
house, you're at his mercy. He can charge you
anything and you have to pay," he added. It is
quite conceivable that skilled blue collar
laborers will make more money that the
college graduate. Mr. Robinson's attitude is
not one that Negroes should "know their
place" but is based on strict economics and
earning power of labor.
The Society is also concerned with buying
houses and selling them to what banks
consider high risk persons. This type of
arrangement encourages a pride in home
ownership and makes the owner deeply
concerned about conditions in his own area.
People will not loot and burn their own
stores. "We found there is a direct effort to
make people feel poor," Mr. Robinson said,
"but why not take a chance on the
poor...they have to pay rent."
We find this approach to the problems of
the cities very encouraging. Individual
initiative is too often lost in the face of vast
federal funds. The handouts are enormous
from a myriad of institutions. We think the
Phoenix Society is a step in the right direction
to re-establish the country's faith in the free
enterprise system and constructively to
channel the energies and talents of young
Negroes. C.L.W.
| The Cavalier daily. Tuesday, October 1, 1968 | |